Mommy and Me Date

Z and Me

Finding Nemo opened this weekend in 3D and I offered to take both boys, but Scotty opted out.  So, it turned into a date with Zac, which is something I rarely get to do with any of the boys.  I made it an early birthday celebration and I took him to Toys R Us to pick out his animals.  Of all the toys in TRU to choose from, the only section he ever goes to is the shelves of plastic animals made by Schleich.  He only gets to pick one or two on special occasions, but a 5th birthday is a pretty big deal so I let him go a little crazy.  He probably has over 100 of these darn animals...Schleich is killing us!  I don't know how he knows which ones he has and doesn't have, but he doesn't seem to have a problem getting the ones he "needs".  Its the only time he willingly gets into a shopping cart because he can reach the shelves better that way.  The movie was cute to see in 3D, and now I can add it to the ticket stub I saved from 2003 when Finding Nemo first came out and Jay and I went to see it in Port Angeles, WA, on our 3rd anniversary...awwww

Movie theater popcorn is the best! 

3D glasses - he actually wore them! 

The animals 

2nd Grader and Kindergartener

The boys started school on Sept 4.  Zac is not even 5 yet, but the deadline here is Sept 30.  He barely made it!  I think he is the youngest in his class.  The thought to wait one more year crossed my mind, but he has proven in so many ways that he is ready for this venture, I didn't want to hold him back.  Of course he had some separation anxiety those first couple days, but despite that, he continues to get up and on the bus every morning without fuss.  What a brave boy!  It is a pretty long day for kindergarteners and I wish they offered half day.  I think it helps that he rides the bus with his big brother and since Scotty hasn't showed any concern, it has helped Zac build confidence.  In fact, we have felt a little guilty because we've been so busy trying to prep Zac for this, we've been able to side step Scotty a little and he hasn't made any noise about any of it.  Before school started he said "2nd grade is going to be so hard"...but now after a week, he is saying that 2nd grade is "so easy".  He likes his teacher and the two kids that seemed to be a bit of a distraction for him last year are not in his class this year.  It appears the boys are both getting into the swing of things and Zac even saying the other day that he is starting to like school a little more.  At this school they base behavior on a color system...so, good behavior is green, bad is red and there are some warning colors in between.  They have both been on green everyday, but Scotty has gotten the highest behavior mark twice now, which is purple.  I find myself getting giddy by the time 4pm rolls around, excited to meet them at the bus and hear all about their day.  It is nice to have quiet days and have one on one time with Trev, but I miss those guys during the day!

We were in Nebraska when they had orientation, so I had planned on taking the boys to school on the first day so I could meet the teachers, see the classrooms, etc...but I found out the school was strongly discouraging parents from doing that in order to limit the back to school chaos.  I could've gone anyway, but its probably good I didn't.  Avoided all potential for a separation meltdown at school.

Here's Trev helping Jay bring the garbage cans back from the road...without big brothers around, the chores fall on him :)

Final Farewell to the Crib

My sis in law gave us this crib when Jay and I started talking kids in 2003...it was Makayla's crib and Max is now going on 16 years old!  Now, after having been through three boys and several military moves, it's broken, battered and ready for retirement.  It was bittersweet to take it down for the final time, but new beginnings are good and I am looking forward to getting out of the baby stages once and for all.  Trev was probably ready way before now, but mom wasn't!  He is my last baby and I am in no hurry.  Here are a few pics of the crib through the years...

Scotty just home from the hospital

2005

Zac never slept in anything but the crib from the very first day 

2007

Scotty letting us know what he really thought of the crib

2010

I bought this toddler bed awhile back and its just been sitting in the box.  So the day after returning from Nebraska, I got to work, put it together and he napped in it that afternoon.  Trev has always been my best sleeper so I was really worried that this would screw everything up, but as usual, he slept just fine and we have had no issues.  My baby is growing up...

The 'Big Boy' bed 

Success!

Nebraska 2012

We have been planning a trip back to visit Jay's family in Nebraska since our last visit in November when we stopped by for a few days en route to the east coast.  At that time, winter was upon us and it was super cold and frosty.  We decided to make the trip in August this year so I could experience what a midwest summer was like.  Hot, nearly 100 degress every day, but minus the sweltering humidity.  There was usually a breeze rolling thru so it never felt too hot.  The trip took us three days to get there, passing thru parts of six states: West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.  We spent five days on the farm then traveled the three days back.  What an adventure!

THE ROAD TRIP:

Day One, loaded and ready to go! 

West Virginia countryside was so pretty 

This was as we were approaching the Appalacians 

8% and 10% grade hills through Appalacians!?!?  I have never seen such steep slopes.  Both ways we had to pull over because our brakes were too hot.  On the way home, an unlucky semi-truck lost control and went over the side on the 10% grade hill.  Driver walked away, he was very lucky...the truck was totalled.  We had to stop on the hill just before that accident because our own brakes were SMOKING!  So scary. 

I had good intentions of not letting my kids have their noses to video games and DVDs along the trip, bought books and coloring pages, but the electronics won.  Sometimes you just gotta do what's easy...and quiet. 

This place cracked me up.  Located in Santa Claus, Indiana, an amusement park called Holiday World....it was humorously close to that of "Wally World" in National Lampoon's Vacation.  Even the parking lot resembled the one in the movie where Clark Griswold parks ALL the way in the back of the empty lot and they run to the music of Chariots of Fire.  Too funny...  

This was a rare moment when all three had fallen asleep! 

In Missouri, every exit had huge Firework superstores...thought it was fascinating, so I snapped a pic 

Chipper Trev 

Heidi didn't complain too much about being in the back 

So cool to see some of these places and things we've only ever seen on TV or read about

Kansas City Royals play the Mariners in this stadium! :) 

I couldn't believe we passed right by this on the interstate, driving right over the Mississippi River!  That was pretty exciting for me

We are hooked on a show called "Justified" and a lot of it is based in a place called Harlan County in Kentucky.  Had to snap this pic when I saw there's a Harlan County in Nebraska.  Just add it to my list of why I love Nebraska :)

The open country road....no traffic, just peace.  This little piece of God's country is calling my name.

102 DEGREES!!  But honestly, I will take 102 midwestern heat over 102 east coast heat ANY DAY!

THE TRAILER ACCIDENT

It would not be a Wahrmund Family trip if things didn't go awry at some point.  At the time, we were both fuming and were very close to turning around and heading back home on the first night!  But now, its actually quite humorous and kinda goes along with the whole "Clark Griswold" theme to this vacation.  Jay definitely pulled a Sparky in this moment.  Let me preface: Noting that our KOA campground was still a few hours down the road, Jay decided to pull off to get some dinner at McDonalds.  I did not want McDonalds and saw that there was a KFC at the exit too.  We actually went back and forth over it for a second as Jay was getting into the left turn lane, toward McDs.  KFC was to the right.  Jay wins.  Mistake number one.  Little did I know, he was actually pulling into the McDs area to turn around, but as he was focusing on that, he neglected to see the big overhang that said "Max 10 Feet"....Mistake number two.  Right next to McDs was a bank and apparently they don't want any large trucks coming into their parking lot, which is where Jay was trying to turn around.  I saw the sign and said "are we under 10 feet?", but obviously it did not register what I had said (just like it didn't register when I said I wanted KFC...) until the moment the top of the trailer hit the overhang, making a loud crashing sound.  Everyone in McDs saw and heard it.  A few people came over to see if we were okay, but I am sure the majority of them were pointing and laughing.  Mortifying.  Turns out, were it not for the AC unit on top of the trailer, we would've made it under that 10 foot overhang no problem!  But alas, the unit got torn off of our brand new trailer, making a gaping hole in the roof...and leaving us in 100 degree weather with no AC.  Here's what happens when you don't adhere to warning signs:

You ask "did she really take pictures of this?"  Yes, yes I did.  No way would I let the opportunity to document this disaster pass me by!

Surely Jay is cursing under his breath in this moment 

...and in this moment...

To fit right into the West Virginia "Hillbilly" theme, we got to put tarp and duct tape on our trailer! YEEEE HAW!  Fortunately, Jay's cousin Dave who we were going to visit made some phone calls for us and was able to make an appt to get the AC fixed at a place in North Platte the day after we arrived, so we made a day of it and we all headed into town, about an hour away from where they live.  It took two hours and a bunch of money later, but we had our AC back and no hole in the roof.

CAMPING

We have decided that KOAs are the best options when we are traveling with an RV...full hook ups, laundry, general store, fishing, swimming, playgrounds, and sometimes even bikes to rent.  There were a couple stops when we had to go to a non-KOA and those were just fine too....there's always a little something for everyone and usually we are just happy to get off the road for the night.  All I care about is whether it has power and water.

Jay is always prepared to take the boys fishing wherever we go

And Trev gets to ride along 

This was at Lake Rudolph RV Park in Santa Claus, Indiana 

One of our many nights at camp

Swimming!

Going under...

More fishing

More swimming

The boys got to rent go-carts at one place but for whatever reason, I didn't take pics of those :(

THE FARM

Finally arrived at the farm and it was glorious. Immediately we all felt at home, even my allergies were in check.  It was great hanging out with the Rupperts for five days and just being part of their life on the farm.  From feeding cows to clay shooting to making home-made ice cream to going for my morning jogs down the old dirt road....a place where we can just let the boys and dog loose.  We loved every minute we were out there!

Dave and Darla are in the process of renovating the house, adding several hundred square feet, two more bathrooms and even a storm cellar - it is going to be beautiful! 

Here it is from a distance

There is never a dull moment on a working farm...and always something for the boys to "assist" with and be a part of...here Zac jumped in the tractor with Dave to bale some hay 

Here's the large hay bale all wrapped and ready to go shooting out the end

These calves were still in their mama's bellies when we came to visit last November.  Now they have been auctioned off and will soon be someone else's calves...

The boys hopped in the back of the pick-up whenever they got a chance to feed the cows

This machine munches up the hay a bit and puts it right into the feeding bin - the boys are just riding along fascinated 

Hard to imagine how much harder farm work was back in the day before these amazing machines were made

The cows just follow, they know where the food is!

The machine on the back of the pick-up is shooting grain right into the feeding bins and the cows fall right in line!

Jay and Scotty helping push grain through the feeder

Grain Auger 

Trev wanted to help (the auger was turned off at this point!) 

I love this picture of the cows!!  The red cow was my favorite!

Of course, it wasnt ALL work and no play...there was definitely a lot of playing going on! 

Trev and I walked their long dirt drive way one morning, it was one of my favorite mornings out there 

Watching dad and Scotty on their dirt bikes

A hunting they will go.... 

They shot a bird and fed it to the barn cats 

Zac is in his element when he is around horses 

More dirt bike riding 

They rode all over the corn field and pasture 

Here they are out in one of the pastures, I actually have my camera zoomed way in 

Dave saddled up one of the horses "Gomez" for Zac.  At first Zac didn't think he could ride without his riding helmet, but they agreed that the dirt bike helmet would suffice 

I was able to get a picture with him in boots and a hat so he looked somewhat like a cowboy :) 

Donna is Dave's mom.  She and Diane (Jay's mom) are first cousins 

Because the house was under construction, this was the makeshift dining room and it worked out perfectly! 

The gang

Dylan taking Zac for a ride 

Trev getting ready to drive Darla's Polaris :) 

Zac befriended one of the barn kittens and they pretty much followed each other around the whole time we were there...Darla is just giving it a little TLC here.

THE LAKE

Dylan operates a tree removal service and he had some work he was doing down by the lake, Red Willow Reservoir near their house, so we took a trip down there to see him in action (note the Bobcat tearing down the trees)

It was a beautiful area.  There is a hole in the dam that needs repair so the lake is drained down quite a bit...all the areas we were walking on would normally be covered in water.

Can I just plant a house right here?! 

Dylan took a little break and took all of us in his Polaris Ranger for a jaunt around the lake...it is pretty rough terrain, but the Ranger guts right through it.  I need an excuse to buy one of those things!!  Anyway, Darla was fascinated by this bush of pretty flowers growing...it was the only one in the area and she'd never seen it before so we had to stop and check it out.

Came upon the jetty and the boys climbed up on it to check out the other side where there was a marina 

Oh Jay...its all fun and games til someone falls and breaks a leg on sharp rocks 

Dave and Darla

"Uncle Dave" is Zac's hero, just love this pic Darla snapped of their hands

DYLAN'S PLACE

Dylan lives on the farm where his mom (Darla) grew up, its been in her family for over 100 years.  Dylan's girlfriend has three cows she keeps at his place so we took the boys out there to pet them, as they are a lot more people friendly than Dave and Darla's cows

I can see why his girlfriend loves them so much, they are so sweet!  Just wish my allergies didn't go so crazy when I get close :(

A shiny new water trough attracts little boys...

He would've climbed right into that if he had a chance

Trev was a little intimidated by the livestock, unlike the other two boys

This cupola and weathervane was salvaged from the old barn, something that means a lot to Darla and she plans to display it some other way. 

Trev and Darla have a special connection :)

Jason is Dylan's hired man and is pretty much a part of their family, Zac connected with him too and called him "the other cowboy guy"

This bull was "talking" to me so I had to take his picture, but then he got that look in his eye like he was going to charge the fence so I slowly walked away...

Nothing says "farm" like a few birds perched on a gate right next to a bunch of cows.  Loved these little guys!

Here's the 100 year old barn that I fell in love with!

I would love to restore something like this

Sadly, I think the fate of the barn is to be destroyed at some point in the near future, so I wanted to capture it in my pictures

As mentioned, Dylan removes trees for a living, so naturally he has a lot of man toys.  At Jay's coercing, he demonstrated the power of one of his newest toys, this gigantic big rig with a large mower.  It basically crushes large trees into nothing, as if they were never even there.  Both Scotty and Zac got to ride along with him in this thing and they thought it was pretty cool.  They think Dylan has cool stuff!

Just moments earlier, there was a large tree in this spot - crazy fascinating!

SHOOTING

Had to spend our last night on the farm doing something cool, so Dylan coordinated a range over in one of the pastures, complete with ammo and shotguns and clay pigeons.  Was a blast to watch and I even tried my hand at it.  I had done this once years ago when I worked in law enforcement, and wasn't successful then either!  I didn't hit one darn pigeon.  But once they lay them out on the ground, I did better.  I guess I'm just not good with moving targets :)  But it was a lot of fun to watch the guys compete and even Darla kicked some butt and hit a few in the air.  Forgot how much fun it is to shoot!!

Was pretty cool watching the guys compete

Love this pic of Darla - what a rockstar!

This is when she tried to fling the clay pigeon, but it didn't "fling"...was pretty funny

Ready to go hunting!

The cows in the distance were wondering what all the racket was about 

Trev attempted to keep the earplugs in, but not for long

He was happy just playing in the dirt 

Scotty got to try out the .22 on the ground targets 

As did Zac, with a little assistance

Scotty tossing the clay pigeon for Jay

THE FAIR

As a last hoorah before leaving, the Rupperts accompanied us to the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, about 2.5 hours east of McCook.  It was fun and nice to spend that last little bit of time with them.

I've never seen so many tractors on display! 

Free combine rides...only in the midwest :) 

This bull was HUGE! 

Of course Zac would find the baby donkey and mini horses 

No words necessary 

WE WILL BE BACK

Despite a few hiccups (crashing the trailer, losing our brakes), this was truly the best vacation!  We made some great memories and I'm certain the boys will be talking about this trip for a long time.

I could never get tired of this view....in these moments, there was no place else I'd rather be 

Someone made a comment to me once saying they thought Nebraska was "so ugly"....but I couldn't disagree more.  I have seen the tropics of Hawaii, the sunshine of California, the beaches of Florida, the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the deserts of Arizona, the ruggedness of Alaska and many places in between...and all those places are wonderful in many ways.  But there is a certain peacefulness about the Great Plains that I have never experienced before. A glimpse of a simpler life in the country that I didn't even realize I wanted.  It is beautiful to me. 

I don't know what the future holds, but I hope it includes Nebraska in there somewhere.  Thanks to Dave, Darla and Dylan for entertaining us amongst your busy lives.  It was pretty cool to be a part of your world for a little while.  Until next time, much love xoxo